Polish carriers reach agreement with government to suspend border blockade – Reuters
Polish carriers, who have been blocking border crossings with Ukraine since November, have reached an agreement with the government on certain demands and will end their protest.
This was reported by Reuters.
By agreement, the protest will be stopped on Wednesday at 13:00 Kyiv time.
“This is not the end, but the protest will be suspended… We have agreed on certain conditions, we will give the government time to work, as it is a new government,” said Tomasz Borkowski of the Committee for the Protection of Transport Carriers and Employers.
The Polish Ministry of Infrastructure organized a press conference on Tuesday, during which an agreement with the carriers is to be signed.
Strikes on the Polish-Ukrainian border: what is known
On November 6, Polish carriers went on strike at the Polish-Ukrainian border. Subsequently, Polish carriers completely blocked the passage of trucks at two checkpoints on the border with Ukraine.
On November 9, a meeting of government officials and carriers blocking the border with Ukraine took place in Poland, but it ended in nothing. At the same time, the queues of trucks are getting longer and longer. Ukraine has offered the Polish authorities to launch lanes for empty trucks and is waiting for a response from them.
Subsequently, Polish carriers promised to tighten the blockade on the border with Ukraine. In addition, customs officers began to record an increase in truck queues in the Slovak direction.
Ukraine and Poland have announced that they are preparing lawsuits to compensate for damages caused by the blocking of border road crossings. In addition, it became known that Polish carriers do not allow humanitarian aid and dangerous goods to pass through.
Meanwhile, the Polish government called on Ukraine to cancel the registration in the e-queue for empty trucks. The Polish minister also met with the protesters and offered them a compromise solution.
On December 1, blocked Ukrainian drivers on the Polish border held talks with the consul. On December 4, the Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv checkpoint opened its doors to empty trucks.
As a result of protesters blocking the border with Ukraine, exports through these checkpoints decreased by 40%, and the state budget of Ukraine lost UAH 9.3 billion due to a shortfall in customs payments.
Later it became known that the trucks blocked on the border with Poland would be returned to Ukraine by rail. In the evening of December 7, Ukrzaliznytsia sent the first container train with trucks to Poland, consisting of 23 platforms with 13 loaded tractors and semi-trailers.
On Monday, December 11, truck traffic was unblocked at the Polish-Ukrainian border through the Yagodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint. However, in the evening of the same day, protesters blocked the unblocked crossing with a truck.
The European Commission has called for the unblocking of all checkpoints on the border with Poland.
On Saturday, December 23, Polish farmers suspended their protests at the Shehyni-Medyky checkpoint. Poland’s new government said it would hold talks with the protesters.
